One-Man Army Corps

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For the OMAC cyborgs, see OMAC (comics).
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One-Man Army Corps (OMAC)

Cover to OMAC #6, with the original OMAC. Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Created by Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter ego Buddy Blank
Team affiliations Global Peace Agency
Abilities Superhuman strength, speed, durability and explosive energy generation provided by Brother Eye

OMAC (One-Man Army Corps) is a superhero comic book created in 1974 by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics.

Contents

[edit] Publication history

Set in the near future ("the world that's coming"), OMAC is a corporate nobody named Buddy Blank who is changed via a "computer-hormonal operation done by remote control" by an A.I. satellite called Brother Eye into the super-powered OMAC.

OMAC works for the Global Peace Agency, a group of faceless people who police the entire world using pacifistic weapons. The world balance is too dangerous for large armies, so OMAC is used as the main field enforcement agent for the Global Peace Agency.

OMAC lasted for eight issues of his own comic (1974-1975), which was cancelled before the last storyline was completed. Later, towards the end of Kamandi (after Kirby had left that title), OMAC was tied into the backstory and shown to be Kamandi's grandfather. An OMAC back-up feature by Jim Starlin was started in issue #59, but the title was cancelled after the first appearance. It would later finally see print in Warlord, and a new back-up series would also appear in that title (#37-39, 42-47). OMAC made appearances as a guest alongside Superman in DC Comics Presents #61.

In 1991 OMAC was featured in a four-issue prestige format limited series by comic artist and writer John Byrne that tied up loose ends left from previous stories. John Byrne would later reuse OMAC in his Generations 3 mini-series.

In Countdown to Final Crisis, Buddy Blank is featured as a retired, balding professor with a blond-haired grandson. In #34, Buddy Blank is mentioned but not seen, and is referred to as having direct contact with Brother Eye. He is contacted by Karate Kid and Una in Countdown #31, and appears in #28 and 27. A version of Buddy from Earth-51 appears in #6 and #5 where the Morticoccus virus is released. Buddy spends the rest of the time holed up in a bunker with his grandson who is revealed to be "Kamandi". In the final issue, Countdown to Final Crisis #1, Brother Eye rescues Buddy and his grandson from the ruins of Blüdhaven by turning him into a prototype OMAC with free will, resembling the original Jack Kirby OMAC.

[edit] Powers and abilities

Through interfacing with the Brother Eye satelite, via invisible beam to his receiver belt, Buddy Blank is transfromed into OMAC and imbued with an array superhuman abilites. The base of abilities involve density control of Blank's body. Increase in density leads to an increase in super-strength and enhanced durability, while a decrease in density leads to flight and super-speed. Brother Eye could provide other abilites as well, such as self-repairing functions.

[edit] Alternate versions

[edit] OMACs

The modern OMAC. Cover to The OMAC Project #5. Art by Ladrönn.
Main article: OMACs

The character, along with the Brother Eye satellite, was rebooted for the 2005-2006 Infinite Crisis story arc. Although OMACs are now cyborgs who take over human's bodies via a virus in order to assassinate any and all beings with superpowers, they still retain OMAC's familiar mohawk and Brother Eye symbol on their chest. The character is featured in the OMAC Project limited series which leads up to Infinite Crisis. The character has a new meaning behind the acronym: Observational Meta-human Activity Construct. However, in The OMAC Project #5, the acronym was changed to the original One-Man Army Corps. In The OMAC Project #6, the acronym was again changed to "Omni Mind And Community"

[edit] Other

  • DC Comics', in its Tangent Comics imprint issue The Joker's Wild in 1998, self-parodied OMAC with a beta-version automated policeman called "Omegatech Mechanoid Armored Cop".
  • DC would later make a nod to OMAC during the DC One Million event in 1998. In Superboy 1,000,000, one of the future Superboys is known as Superboy OMAC, or "One Millionth Actual Clone", and the title of the story was "One Million And Counting", repeating the acronym. He appeared in the Superboy and Young Justice specials, as well as the DC One Million mini-series. His appearance is based on OMAC, and he gains increased power from Brother Eye.
  • In Kingdom Come, Alex Ross created a female version of OMAC named OWAC, (One-Woman Army Corps).
  • The One Million 80 Page Giant also introduced a female Luthor with OMAC elements who called herself the One Woman Adversary Chamber.
  • OMAC made a brief appearance in Elseworlds' JLA: Another Nail when all time periods meld together.
  • Some basic OMAC units resembling the first OMAC were featured in Final Crisis.

[edit] Other Media

[edit] Television

[edit] Video Games

[edit] Toys

It was announced at New York Comic Con 2009 that OMAC will be released as a figure in the Justice League Unlimited toyline down the road.

[edit] Collected editions

  • Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C.: One Man Army Corps (hardcover, DC Comics, May 2008, ISBN 1401217907)[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/s01.php
  2. ^ Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C.: One Man Army Corps profile at DC

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Man_Army_Corps"
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